Tag Archives: HSE

SOME patient-facing health care workers employed in the UL Hospitals’ Group still haven’t received the first dose of the vaccine against Covid-19 earlier this week. That’s according to assistant director of industrial relations, Mary Fogarty, who told The Clare Champion some health care staff are pleading with their managers to get the vaccine. “This is a huge priority issue to protect people. It is a matter of concern for our members that they have not been prioritised and other employees have received the vaccine who are not patient-facing.” She said there is now a HSE portal that should be able to prioritise patient-facing employees. In a recent memo to public representatives, group chief executive officer, Professor Colette Cowan stated the group continue to issue as much vaccine as possible, in line with national guidance and based on availability of vaccines and clinical prioritisation. “The group recognise the anxiety experienced by unvaccinated staff during the current surge in Covid-19 activity, and …

A COMMUNITY activist was shaken by the vile online abuse she experienced after posting a video seeking support to deal with a major outbreak of Covid-19 at Cahercalla Community Hospital and Hospice, Ennis. Hillary Tonge spent weeks organising the manufacture and distribution of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) with others to nursing homes throughout the county including Cahercalla last May. On Saturday, January 16, Ms Tonge recalled she was contacted by a very stressed Cahercalla staff member, who outlined staffing issues, presented a letter written by Board chairman, Dr Michael Harty, and requested her assistance. In view of the role played previously by the Mná ag Gaire Women’s Shed group making PPE for nursing homes, Ms Tonge posted a video on Facebook seeking the public’s help under the group’s name. In an interview with the Clare Champion, Ms Tonge confirmed she did make efforts to contact Cahercalla management on Saturday, January 16 by phone but couldn’t get through. Dr Harty’s letter …

AN ENNIS GP has described a number of incidents where Covid-19 vaccines were administered people in non-priority groups as “insulting”. It emerged in recent days that so-called ‘remnant’ doses, left over after vaccination of priority groups at the Coombe and Rotonda hospitals in Dublin, were administered to relatives of staff. “The idea that hospitals would start giving spare doses to other people without evening thinking of their other frontline healthcare colleagues is insulting,” said Dr Máire Finn. “The fact that hospitals would get extra quantities of the vaccine and wouldn’t consider other staff or calling in GPs in their area makes me incredibly cross. There’s a sense that GPs have only been getting the scraps off the table.” Dr Finn welcomed updated guidance from the Health Service Executive (HSE) stating that hospitals should compile stand-by lists of other healthcare workers who would be vaccinated in the event of any spare doses becoming available. She also commended the roll-out of a …

Members of the Irish Defence Forces are providing non-medical logistical support at Cahercalla Community Hospital following an outbreak of Covid-19 infection. It has emerged that there are currently 19 cases of Coronavirus in the medical facility. The Board of Cahercalla has moved to assure relatives they are doing everything possible to protect and care for patients following grave concerns expressed about the impact of the outbreak on social media on Saturday. It has confirmed members of the Irish Defence Forces are on site to give non medical logistical support in order to allow staff concentrate on their clinical duties and to assist in the setting up of the vaccination areas at Cahercalla. In a statement issued to the Clare Champion on behalf of the Cahercalla Board, Dr Michael Harty outlined the hospital are working closely with HIQA, the HSE dedicated Covid-19 Response Team and other agencies to manage and control this outbreak to ensure continued quality care, safety and welfare …

THERE has been an increase of 70% in the use of physical force to manage patients at Ennis’s Acute Psychiatric Unit, new figures show. The rise comes at a time when mental health experts say such measures should only be used in “exceptional” circumstances. A report from the Mental Health Commission shows there were 85 incidents, in 2019, when residents of the unit were physically restrained after they were judged to pose an immediate danger to themselves or to others. While there was a decrease nationally in the number of episodes of physical restraint in the country’s 65 approved inpatient psychiatric treatment centres, the facility in Ennis bucked that trend. There were 50 incidents of physical restraint at the unit in 2018 and 85 episodes involving 41 residents in 2019. In response to a query from The Champion, the Health Service Executive (HSE) Midwest, said it welcomed the report’s findings and is currently reviewing them. “While restrictive measures are sometimes …

A CLARE woman has joined the fight against childhood obesity in Ireland and is urging the public to join the Irish Heart Foundation’s ‘Stop Targeting Kids’ drive. A growing trend in obesity levels in children, especially during Covid, has prompted Caitriona Lynch, from Sixmilebridge, to join the campaign. The ICU nurse in University Hospital Galway has a special interest in childhood obesity having just graduated from a Master’s of Science in Obesity from NUIG. “It is clear to me that junk food companies used the opportunity (during Covid) to keep their unhealthy products centre stage in children’s minds,” said Ms Lynch. “We need to break the junk food cycle to improve children’s health. I joined this campaign because I believe a ban on junk food marketing would be a game changer in tackling childhood obesity. “As an active campaigner, I’ve been in touch with the Advertising Standards Authority about irresponsible advertising by brands loved by young people as this marketing is …

AS the 14-day incidence of Covid-19 in Clare slumps to the lowest in the country, a local Dáil deputy has asked the government to consider using antigen testing to help curtail the spread of the virus during Christmas. A few months ago, the 14-day incidence rate of the virus in Clare was the fourth highest in the country. However, now the incidence has dropped from 32 per 100,000 on November 30 to 23.6%, which is the lowest in the country. This is in sharp contrast to Limerick, which now has the sixth highest incidence rate of 128% while the rate in Tipperary is now far greater than Clare at 70%, just below the national average of 84.7%. According to figures produced by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, there were 28 new cases of Covid-19 in Clare, 251 in Limerick and 112 in Tipperary from December 1 to December 14. On December 13, Limerick’s total number of cases stood at 3,021 …

THE number of nursing homes with Covid-19 outbreaks in the Midwest stands at 20, according to the most recent update from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC). As high rates of community transmission spill over into enclosed settings, the number of outbreaks in this region has risen steadily since July. However, clusters of infection in private houses, of which there are 155 in the Midwest, account for the largest number of clusters. Last week, a major outbreak at the nursing home in East Galway sparked concern about the capacity of the sector to cope with a second wave of the virus. The Nightingale Nursing Home in Ahascragh had 25 cases among 27 residents, with only one nurse and one carer available to cover at 72 hour period because of positive cases among other staff. Councillor Ann Norton, director of the Clare Crusaders in Barefield, was sharply critical of the response of the Health Service Executive (HSE), saying that they had …